IMAX and PRIMA Cinema announced a partnership today that will allow IMAX to use PRIMA Cinema transmittal technology to deliver high quality premium content to your home… that is if your home can afford one. IMAX plans on using PRIMA Cinema to transmit and store ultra high quality theatrical releases that can then be viewed using IMAX’s Private Theater projection systems in 2D and 3D 1080p HD, though both companies have the technology to expand to ultra-high def (4K) cinema in the near future.
The deal will also give IMAX exclusivity to sell PRIMA’s storage systems, biometric security device and high-end data delivery services in China for five years. In sealing the deal, IMAX acquired a significant stake in PRIMA and will maintain a seat on PRIMA’s board-of-directors overseeing new developments and the company’s future.
Unfortunately, it’s doubtful most folks will be able to appreciate the benefits, since the average price tag for even a reasonable IMAX private screening room (with IMAX projection, sound, theater seating and interior design) is around $2 million bucks. But hey, for today’s Hollywood moguls and one-percenters living in the rarefied air of extreme wealth, it’s chump change, though IMAX has not sold too many private theaters since rolling out the concept in Spring of this year.
IMAX is considering the possibility of lower-cost systems that still offer the highest-quality for the less-than-filthy rich (the upper middle-class, y’all), and had indicated it was looking for a partner to help the company broaden its approach and reach out to a greater pool of customers. There’s every indication that the deal with PRIMA gives IMAX the right partner it needs to develop the Private Theater concept further, while offering a chance to capture a bigger piece of the premium home theater pie.
